The Dark Ages
The Dark Ages, described as a period in which many tragedies occurred in Europe, was not so “dark” as it sounds; it was rather a time of important change across the continent. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, which had controlled a majority of Europe for centuries, local governments arose and dominated the region. The Catholic church also survived the collapse, and its monasteries served as hospitals, inns, and schools. New discoveries in technology, advances in farming, and resettling increased Europe’s population and made its economy prosperous. The rise of independence, intelligence, and creativity lead to the Renaissance, a time of great learning and art, thus making the Dark Ages an age of significant development.
The Roman Empire had control in Europe for hundreds of years, with little competition in the region. Its size, however, made it difficult for the empire to maintain laws across different locations. When the empire finally collapsed, local governments became dominant in Europe. Now, no single government had full power, so individual governments could create different laws based on the land and people which belonged to them. Document 6 states that this localism created chaos in the area since these governments were unable to stop the spreading violence. Yet, it does not explain how miniscule these conflicts became compared to the wars waged before. Because local governments were smaller, battles between different groups were as small.
The term “dark ages” comes from Petrarch, who was an Italian scholar that lived after the dark ages, and compared it to the classical era. Medieval Europe happened from 500 AD to 1500 AD, also known as the medieval period in Europe. It is called “the dark age” because of the disease, famine, murder, chaos, and death that happened during that time.
First, “The Dark Ages” was the time that followed the collapse of the Western Roman Empire but before the Renaissance from the 5th to 15th century. Very few writings survived during the Dark Ages, so most believe that people during this time were illiterate;
The dark ages, a time period spanning from 500 AD until 1500 AD, is commonly perceived as the worst time in history, solely because of its name. When asked “What is the dark ages generally known for?” many people respond with the black plague or great famines. The main reason for this title is in fact due to a lack of written records and documents lost to history. In reality, the dark ages were not really that dark because a humanitarian king shaped European ideals, religion kept culture alive, and many historical and scientific progressions occurred.
In the 1300s, Petrarch, an Italian Scholar used the term "dark ages" which applied "dark" and "light" to describe the period. Historians kept wondering " Was Europe really in a dark age from 500 to 1500"? The ongoing argument involves events such as the Crusades, The Black Death, the signing of the Magna Carta, and the building of universities and cathedrals. But although, there was destruction and prosper. While Europe had long lasting improvements, it was still a lot of destruction, during this period.
The Dark Ages occurred right after the fall of the Roman Empire and lasted from about 500 to 900 CE. During this time the population fell in Europe, there were many invasions, towns were constantly robbed, and garbage was left all over fields sometimes destroying the crops that grew there. As historian Frantz Funck-Brentano states in document one, "They burned down the churches and then departed with a crown of captives". People would be taken out of their homes by barbarians and be forced to leave with them. Conditions were so hectic during this time, some believed that society had no government. Which was true in a sense because people were constantly being killed and hurt, and the people attacking others would rarely ever get caught for these crimes or punished. In document three the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells of invasions of England, and how not only churches were burned down, but how, "- Northmen plundered... and burned the town
Many people cannot agree on whether the European Middle Ages were “Dark Ages” or an “Early Renaissance”. A Dark Age is a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline, while a Renaissance is a new period of growth or activity. Even though there is an equal amount of evidence for both the Dark Ages and the Early Renaissance, some pieces were more effective than others. The European Middle Ages were an Early Renaissance because citizens started to begin new lives as different roles, the feudal system was slowly being forgotten, and the Magna Carta was published.
Europe was in a Dark Age because they went through tragic and disastrous events. Such as the crusades and the black death. The Crusades shows that Europe was in a dark age because there is war, violence, and chaos. According to Document A, “ Some of our
Europe was seen as being in a Dark Age. It is known as a time where there were wars, disease, and pure chaos. The term “dark age” was coined by Francesco Petrarch, who compared it to the classical period before the dark age, which was full of innovation. He came up with this because during 500 to 1500 A.D it was utter chaos, death and war, and people were brutally killed and slaughtered. In the year 1095 A.D., the Black Death was in full swing and the Crusaders were set out to capture the Holy Land and conquer the Muslim Turks. The people were set out for blood and it caused several crusades for two whole centuries. Europe has been through war and sickness. Because of the economic structure of Europe during the time, this can be seen as a dark age.
After the Fall of Rome, the Dark Ages occurred during the Middle Ages in Western Europe, France, Germany and Italy. The term “Dark Age” is an accurate description for Western Europe despite the formation of feudalism and the united church. The severity of disease, such as the plague, killed millions of people and lead to society not having the desire to prosper with education . These reasons, among others, demonstrate that Western Europe was truly a Dark Age.
The term “Dark Ages” is one of the most common terms used to refer to the period known as the Middle Ages. Encompassed in this time frame are the years 400 A.D. and 1400 A.D., which mark the beginning and end of the Dark Ages. During this age, rural towns that were smaller and less populated were common. Since invasions were also an issue, towns tried to provide security and safety to the townspeople by using the feudal lord's armies as guards. It was also during this time that a new religious movement called Monasticism developed.
The “Dark Ages” means a time of violence, no innovation, lack of educated people, small population and isolated communities, lots of disease, no new building projects, war, lack of trade, chaos and anarchy, famine, and political instability. The person who coined it was Petrarch, a french scholar who compared it to the classical period. The beginning of the dark ages was during 500 AD which lasted until 1500 AD. During this time period the most famous events was the “The Crusades” and “Black Death.” During this period Europe was clearly in a “Dark Age.”
Europe fell into the Dark Ages on August 24th, 410 A.D. Rome was one of the greatest empires at the time. That is, before August. It controlled most trade routes, and a lot of land. Then came the day where the Visigoths invaded the Visigoths were western branches of the nomadic tribes of Germanic. Famine, plague, persecutions, and persistent warfare followed. Half of the healthy people living in Rome died. The thugs looted markets, causing a downfall in supplies such as food and clothing. After that, traders brought rats over to europe to the crushed, once powerful empire.
Many people debate over whether Medieval Europe (500 AD-1500 AD) was a growth age or a dark age. The Term dark age came from a famous Italian scholar, Petrarch, and it means that there was violence, no new inventions, lots of diseases, war, not much trade and much more violence in the world. Based on The Black Death and The Crusades. We believe that Europe at this time was a “dark age”.
In the year 476 A.D., Rome officially fell as the greatest and most thriving empire at the time. The time period following this downfall was called the Middle Ages, more infamously recalled as the Dark Ages; but were these years truly as dark as historians say? These medieval times lasted for approximately one thousand years, could such a long time period have been all that dreadful? The answer will soon become clear. The Middle Ages deserved to have the alias of the Dark Ages because there were several severe illnesses, the monarchs were cruel, and the crusades brought the death of many.
The Middle Ages, often referred to as the Dark Ages, was regarded to be a time of despair, disease, and death. Just as the name the “Dark Ages” suggests, this period of European history seemed to be surrounded by darkness and hopelessness. Unfortunately, the majority of people only see this side of the Middle Ages when, in fact, the Middle Ages was a much more important era. Especially during the late Middle Ages, one can find a change in orthodox social structure, political instability mostly concerned with succession to the throne, and economic changes and how those changes went hand in hand with the change in society. After certain demographical changes and turning points such as the Hundred Years’ War, Europe began to transform